'Barak has more chutzpa than PM'

By JPOST.COM STAFF

August 10, 2010 13:52

Kadima slams defense minister as he testifies at Turkel C'tee.

Barak Turkel 311.
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has more "chutzpa" than Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and has "no shame in passing on the responsibility of his failures onto those that wear the uniforms," the Kadima spokesperson charged Tuesday.

The statement came after Barak testified at the Turkel Committee probe into the IDF raid on a Turkish ship trying to break the Gaza blockade on May 31.

Barak said as he entered the panel session to testify that he "bears all responsibility for what happens in the IDF and full responsibility for military instructions that were given during the
flotilla raid.""The decision to stop the flotilla was made
after a thorough examination of the options available by the prime
minister and the Septet," Barak stressed. The defense
minister said "concrete intelligence information was presented during a
military briefing."

"During the military briefing [IDF Chief of
General Staff] Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi reiterated his concerns over the
conduct of the world media if force was used to stop the flotilla,
however, he said that it wont be easy but we will do it," Barak
commented.

Barak said that the orders for the flotilla raid were
formulated in accordance with all the relevant government offices.

"We
have an excellent army, chief of staff and soldiers," Barak stated.

Barak
also mentioned other flotillas that were planning on arriving in Gaza
and said that "Israel is fighting for its right to exist in one of the
toughest corners of the world."

The defense minister echoed a similar stance as
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who a day earlier said he had left Barak in charge of the
matter before flying
to North America for diplomatic meetings.

The IDF raid on a
Turkish ship
trying to break the Gaza blockade, during which nine Turks were killed,
took
place while Netanyahu was in Canada for meetings with
Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper. Netanyahu was scheduled to meet US
President
Barack Obama the next day in Washington.

Asked by committee
chairman
Jacob Turkel, a retired Supreme Court justice, whether his absence from
the
country had any impact on how the crisis was managed, Netanyahu, toward
the end
of his testimony, said he gave clear directives before he left that
Barak would
be in charge of the issue “in all of its aspects.”

“We
anticipated not
only the IDF operation to stop the ship, but also the international
problem, and
I asked the defense minister to coordinate the entire matter,” Netanyahu
said.

Netanyahu was the first witness to appear before the
committee,
and his testimony was divided into two parts: a 90-minute public
session, which
began with a prepared statement followed by a number of questions from
the
committee, and an hour-long session behind closed doors. On a number of
occasions during the public session, specifically addressing relations
with
Turkey, Egypt and the US, Netanyahu requested that his testimony be
given on
camera.

Opposition head MK Tzipi Livni reacted to Barak and Netanyahu's appearance at the committee by saying that the basic qualities to be a leader include the ability to do what is right for Israel.

"A leader must be able to explain the reasons, considerations and motivations of their decisions," Livni added.

Livni noted that "the nation hears the opinions and sees the hesitations of the government leaders."

Barak was in contact with Turkish FM prior
to flotilla

Diplomatic efforts were
directed toward the UN and those countries whose citizens were
participating in
the flotilla or whose docks were being used by the ships, including
Egypt,
Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, Britain and, “first and foremost, Turkey
itself.”
Netanyahu said his office had been in direct contact with the highest
level of
the Turkish government, and that Barak had been in contact with Turkish
Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whom the defense minister has known for
years.

Netanyahu said Israel did not hear any public message from
the
Turkish government to tamp down the “fervor” of the IHH activists on the
Mavi
Marmara, the vessel on which the nine activists were killed.

“Apparently,
the Turkish government did not see the possible friction between the
Turkish
activists and Israel as anything that ran contrary to its interests, and
certainly nothing that justified using effective pressure against the
IHH
activists,” he said. “Despite our continuous diplomatic efforts,
ultimately the
Turkish government did not prevent the attempt by the Marmara to violate the
naval blockade. It appears that (Turkey) did not see in the prospect of a
clash
between Turkish activists and Israel something that clashed with its
interests.”

Netanyahu said that 14 days prior to the flotilla,
Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and their Brazilian counterpart for a public declaration on a
deal
to transfer Iranian uranium abroad that was contrary to the position of
the US
and the other permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“Turkey
thereby strengthened its identification and cooperation with Iran just
days
before the flotilla,” he said.

Netanyahu added that not only did
the IHH
activists not try to find a way out of a confrontation, they declared
they were
looking for it, that they wanted to break the blockade and that the Jews
“needed
to return to Auschwitz.”

Sites Of Interest

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